Katrina

Ok, so I'm in the middle of the president's national address to the nation and it has sent me thinking. I am not in any way trying to make light of this tragedy that is Katrina. It is truly horrible what has happened in New Orleans and other places that have been totally wiped off the globe. But this is not an unprecedented event people! Let us consider the 1900 storm of Galveston. Katrina pales in comparison to the devastation and loss of life of that storm. This storm still stands as the worst storm to ever hit the United States. We aren't talking hundreds of people dead, but thousands. 6,000 to be more precise. What total have we reached now with Katrina in New Orleans 400, 500, or so? I'm not sure about the exact number currently. No loss of life is acceptable, but in comparison Galveston certainly suffered more. And any low lying town, especially one below sea level should have taken steps far in advance to prevent flooding. And for everyone's information, the levy problem is nothing new and has been ignored by government since the 1920s. No one in government today was even alive then so if you're going to blame Bush, or Clinton, or whoever, then lets also blame JFK, Johnson, and FDR. Food for thought everyone. Galveston learned its lesson in 1900 and built a seawall and literally rose the level of the island several feet. And they did it without power tools, computers and other high tech equipment. Just mules, wagons, and shovels. So really, New Orleans citizens shouldn't worry too much. They'll have their city back to normal soon enough and safer no doubt. But really my heart goes out to those affected by the storm and I only bring up Galveston to say this isn't the worst of the worst, so lets count our blessings and try to learn from the past.